Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-05-28
PIONEER PREACHING.
Or. simmons Tells OF the Times
When He Carried the Gospel to the
Pacific Coast.

UT. summons Tells or the Times
when lie Carried the Gospel to til,
Pacific Coast.
One of the ablest and most eloquent
p"lplt orators in California to-day j.
Rev. DIR. j. c. Simmons, pastor of the
Methodist Episcopal church south at
Chico, saws The Sacramento Bee. Last
Sunday evening, in that city, he preach
ed his thirty-tifth anniversary sermon,
telling at length the story of his work
in the vineyard of the Pacific coast. He
is the son of an honored Methods,
preacher Of the Georgia conferences,
and was born in Butts county, Georgia.
in 1927. He graduated from Emery
college. at Oxford, Ga. in 1913, and
was ordained to preach few days af-
ter receiving his diploma. In 1852 he
was sent as a missionary to California,
reaching San Francisco in February Of
that year.
The doctor relates that the first oh.
iectS that attracted his attention upon
stepping from the ship were the inn
mense gambling saloons. brilliantly
lighted and crowded with men, with
here and there a woman seated at Ia.
be experimenting game. Great
piles of gold lay in utmost profusion ON
the tables. Shrewd and well-dressed ID
gamesterS were on hand 10 fleece the
roughly-dressed m ners, large numbers
of whom were stalking and loosng their
treasures on the turn of card He at
once concluded that here was a field
that needed religious influence, and he
longed to he at work. He was present
and assisted in the organization of the
Pacific Annual conference OF the Meth.
odisn Episcopal church south in April,
1852. and is the only remaining men,
ber of that first conference in Califor-
mia. The doctor was sent to perform
his work in the mines. His first SER
mon in California was preached in Sac
where he stopped one day
while on his way to Grass Valley.
He had rough experience from the
day he left Sacramento, but he stood
up bravefy. As he left this city he was
but his thoughts were soon
absorbed while rolling along in the old
stage coach in admiriug the lovely Sac
valley. which was not gemmed
as now. with fine farm-houses, vine
yards, orchards. and gardens, but only
one wide. flower-spangled plain. As
he arrived in Nevada City. at night,
snow was falling rapidly. The crooked
streets were crowded with miners and
gambling halls were wide open. Th c
parsonage. where he was to stop
was rough shed made of shakes"
built to the eud of the church, which
was constructed of the same material.
1t was rather hard to turn into such q
building. where the rude blasts of .he
sierras could sweep through, But that
was the style of the buildings all over
the town.
The preacher opened his commission
at Grass Valley on the Sunday follow
ing his arrival in the mines. The
''church" consisted of nothing but the
and DIR. Simmons, set to
work and completed it with his own
hands. His congregation consisted
mostly of men, and few of them at
that If half a dozen ladies were
present it was considered wonderful.
It was a desperate work trying to
convert men who had gone into the
mines. tasted of the gold excitement,
EAST off all restraint and plunged reck-
essly into anything and everything
hat came along. And yet, some of
.he widest of the men had themselves
been preachers and professors back in
.he states.
The doctor travelled from mine to
nine on foot, aud he was acquainted
with every gold hunter for miles aroun'l.
He ate with them, slept with them at
hight, but often alone under tree. He
preached to them on Sundays, attend
ID to them in sickness, and buried their
lead. He preached under trees, in
,abins. in saloons, tenpin alleys, and
yamblings halls. On many occasions
le would stand in a saloon behind Il
,ar. which he would use for a pulpit.
while his congregation of miners, all
heavily armeS with pistols and knives,
would sit on the whisky barrels while
le urged them to buy gold tried in the
ire that they might be rich. Dur
NO these discourses he would often be
by some drunk or holy ter
or, who would swagger up TO the
,ar and growl out: Say. parson won't
'ou give us drink?" Such intensions
Usually ended by couple of miners
grabbing up the offender and throw
ne him out the door. aad giving signi-
icant warning by tapping their pistols
hat he had better not repeat the trick.
lust as soon as the preacher would end
lis discourse the bartender would take
lis place behind the bar, and in few
ninutes could be heard the rattle and
ngle of glasses.
During his visits to French Corral,
hen one of the liveliest camps in the